This begins a series of posts on the 2001 edition of Flusser's book, Jesus. All of the quotes below are from Jesus, by David Flusser (Jerusalem, Hebrew University Magnus Press, in collaboration with R. Steven Nutley, third edition 2001). See also, The Sage from Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus’ Genius. By David Flusser and R. Steven Notley. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007.
It was (and is) a common Jewish opinion that the kingship of God is both present and future, and that it has existed from the creation of the world, or at least from Abraham’s time. This was not the position of Jesus. According to him the concept of the kingdom of heaven was not static but dynamic. It was a movement which began with John the Baptist. There are a number of reasons why Jesus differs on this point. One is that Jesus understood the kingdom of heaven as not only God’s kingship but as we have noted, a kind of intermediary epoch between the historical period and the end of history. In his messianic timetable it occupied the same place that is represented in other Jewish tripartite systems as “the Days of the Messiah.” The fact that Jesus spoke about the period of the kingdom of heaven, instead of the Days of the Messiah, hints at his own messianic self-awareness.
Does the kingdom of heaven, this intermediary epoch of the Messiah, have any practical impact on believers in our time? Yes, Flusser states that for Jesus the kingdom is present reality, in our midst:
There should be no doubt that both for rabbinic Judaism and for Jesus the kingdom of heaven is a present reality, “The kingdom of heaven is in your midst” (Luke 11:20–21; cf. Ex. 25:8 and see the Aramaic Targumim there).
Flusser states that Jesus viewed himself as the Messiah, at the center of this new and dynamic movement of God:
Our study indicates that for Jesus the messianic period no longer lay as a hope in the future. It had already begun with John the Baptist, and Jesus was now the Messiah. It is also possible to understand how Jesus modified the structure of the concept of the kingdom of heaven. In the understanding of Jesus, the kingdom of heaven became more dynamic than in rabbinic thinking. Since according to Jesus the kingdom was identical with the messianic period, it was no longer, as in rabbinic thought, an eternal suprahistorical entity. It became a dynamic force which broke through into the world at an identifiable point in history. The kingdom of heaven began to break through with John, and Jesus—the Messiah—was in the center of the movement. “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Matt. 12:30).
(Footnote omitted.)
What are the signs of this new movement with Jesus at the center? To address this question, as an example, Flusser cites Jesus' healings:
I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20). As already said [above, p. 261] the “finger of God” is taken from Exodus 8:15[19]. By this quotation Jesus hints to the understanding that through himself God’s redemption had already begun. See the eschatological prayer of Sir. 36:1–22, especially verses 6–7: Show signs anew and work further wonders, makes Thy hand and Thy right arm glorious. ...
Through Jesus’ healings God repeats the “signs” and “wonders” of the liberation from bondage in Egypt.
I realize that Flusser himself had a Jewish view of the identity of Jesus. But my reaction to Flusser's discussion of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven is praise and gratitude. The Lord Jesus is the Messiah, and his kingdom is in our midst. The believer who sees this rises above the troubles of each day.
All quotes (highlighted in green text) are from Jesus, by David Flusser (Jerusalem, Hebrew University Magnus Press, in collaboration with R. Steven Nutley, third edition 2001).
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